PLAYER TO WATCH: Sidney Crosby. The 25-year-old superstar appears to be fully recovered from concussion-like symptoms that limited him to just 22 games last season. He should be back in his comfort zone with linemates Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz along for the ride. If healthy, he's the game's greatest playmaker.

OUTLOOK: With Crosby and reigning league MVP Evgeni Malkin in their primes, anything less than a Stanley Cup will be considered a disappointment.

NY RANGERS:

LAST SEASON: 51-24-7, 109 points. Lost to New Jersey 4-2 in Eastern Conference finals.

COACH: John Tortorella, 6th season with Rangers, 145-100-26; 14th overall, 384-322-100 in NHL.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Nash. The big power forward has finally emerged from relative obscurity and landed on the big stage. The 28-year-old Nash, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 draft by Columbus, played in only four playoff games in nine seasons with the Blue Jackets. His size and scoring ability will both be major factors for the Rangers' offense, which now boasts three premier forwards in Nash, Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards.

OUTLOOK: With reigning Vezina Trophy winner Henrik Lundqvist in net, and Nash teaming up with Gaborik and Richards up front, the Rangers have every reason to believe they can again top the Eastern Conference in the regular season and carry that through the playoffs, as well.

The Pittsburgh Penguins kicked off the abbreviated season with a gritty win in front of an unfriendly crowd.

Coach Dan Bylsma's team figures to be in for more of the same with a visit to Madison Square Garden in store.

Hoping to build on its strong opening performance, Pittsburgh tries for a fifth consecutive victory over the Atlantic Division-rival New York Rangers on Sunday night.

After falling to Philadelphia in the first round of last season's playoffs, the Penguins (1-0-0) got a bit of revenge Saturday with a 3-1 victory over the Flyers. Left wingers Tyler Kennedy and James Neal tallied early first-period goals for Pittsburgh, which held Philadelphia scoreless on five power-play opportunities.

Defenseman Paul Martin notched his second assist on Chris Kunitz's empty-netter in the final seconds.

"Well, it's been a long time since we played, but I think the energy is there," said captain Sidney Crosby, who went without a point. "There are a lot of guys in here who are comfortable with each other and I think that will help in the early going.

"This is a tough place to play, for sure. We saw exactly what we expected out there, tough crowd, tough team, but it's a good experience for us, and we'll take it."

Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves to earn career win No. 227, surpassing Tom Barrasso for the most in team history, but Pittsburgh will get a look at its new backup on Sunday. Hoping to acquire a solid second goaltender after Fleury's struggles against the Flyers in the playoffs, the Penguins traded for Tomas Vokoun, and the two-time All-Star will make his debut Sunday.

The Penguins hope Vokoun can help them continue their success against the Rangers (0-1-0), whom they had their way with toward the end of last season. Pittsburgh suffered back-to-back losses to New York before outscoring coach John Tortorella's team 16-5 during a four-game winning streak.

Vokoun is 6-2-1 with a 1.64 goals-against average in his last nine starts against the Rangers.

Henrik Lundqvist's season, meanwhile, got off to a rough start Saturday in a 3-1 loss at Boston. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner allowed all three goals as the Rangers, who went 0 for 5 on the man advantage, were outshot 34-21.

"This is a tough matchup," center Brad Richards said after scoring the team's only goal. "It's a good matchup for the first night, to see where you are at."

New York had a chance to tie the score with a 5-on-3 power play in the third period, but only managed two shots during the 90-second stretch.

"If we score a goal there ...," captain Ryan Callahan said. "It definitely hurts momentum. That's how it works in this league. You can't be discouraged by that."

Rick Nash, acquired from Columbus in a blockbuster five-player deal in the offseason, tallied an assist in his Rangers debut. He has five goals and five assists in 10 career games against the Penguins.

Lundqvist went 12-1-1 with a 1.67 GAA over his first 14 home matchups against Pittsburgh, but he's gone 2-4-2 with a 3.34 GAA in his last eight. The Penguins are 7-2-0 at MSG over the previous three seasons.

While Crosby didn't get on the board Saturday, he's recorded 10 goals and 17 assists during a 14-game point streak in this series.